European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a news conference at the end of European Council in Brussels, Belgium, 28 June 2024. Von der Leyen is now candidate proposed for President of next EU Commission and Kallas is chosen candidate for High Representative of the European Union , Antonio Costa is elected President of the European Council. EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET / POOLKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the bloc's decision to nominate Germany's von der Leyen for a second five-year term would not change anything.
"Mrs von der Leyen is not in favour of normalising relations between the EU and Russia. That's how we know her, that's how we remember her. Nothing changes in this respect," said Peskov.
Though sometimes riven by divisions, the EU has mobilised to try to help Kyiv against Russia financially and militarily since President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Brussels has also imposed multiple packages of sanctions on Moscow to try to force it to withdraw its forces.
Commenting on the choice of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas for EU foreign policy chief, Peskov said she was known for her anti-Russian rhetoric.
"Mrs Kallas has not demonstrated any diplomatic inclinations so far either, and is well known in our country for her absolutely intransigent and sometimes even openly anti-Russian statements," he said.
"Therefore, we do not think that European diplomacy will contribute in any way to the normalisation of relations. The prospects, in terms of relations between Moscow and Brussels, are bad."
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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